"London Town" by Wings.

     For the last few weeks, I have been doing album reviews. Those of you who are not in the Facebook Group "Little Wing: The Jimmy McCulloch Story", you may see a pattern, all of the album's I review have Jimmy McCulloch as a guitar player on these albums! I write my reviews for the group, and whoever else wants to read!
    Today, we are doing "London Town" by Wings. Now THIS is one album I have in my physical record collection! No YouTube needed here! I bought this a few years ago at an antique store. I had the poster at one point, but not sure where it is. We have rearranged the house so many times, you lose track of things, which is very unfortunate.
   Let's get cracking!
1: "London Town": The title track! "Silver rain was falling down upon the dirty ground of London Town". This song paints a beautiful picture, it takes you on a walk through London. You can see all of the characters in your minds  eye. It is fantastic.
2: "Cafe On The Left Bank": The opening piano kind of reminded me of "Pressure" by Billy Joel, and then Jimmy starts to play! He has some great bits on this one. Could listen to him play forever. Another song where we are transported.
3: "I'm Carrying": This is a soft, pretty, acoustic one. All strings and guitars. It feels as if it could fit into an old movie, it is that perfect. But what is he carrying? I've never really given it much thought. Any ideas on this?
4:"Backwards Traveller": Back on the street for this goodie. For your road trip! "I am the backwards traveller, ancient wool unraveller"... it gets to be a funky instrumental jam near the end.
5:"Cuff Link": And I realize, the funky jam was actually this song, it just went right into it! Very cool.
6: "Children, Children": Gosh, I love this. Every time, "Give it up for Denny!" This is very mystical, some neat fiddle playing. "I know a tiny waterfall, a magic little place, we can play together, watch the fishes race", Just a magical little song!
7:"Girlfriend": First time I heard this, I actually did not think it was Paul! It is such hard competition between the Wings version and the one  Michael Jackson did for his "Off The Wall" version. Vocally, I will go with Michael. Musically, Wings. Plus MJ left out the "Til the river stops a flowing" part. There is this really nice part that Jimmy plays here, I  have always liked. I want your opinions on this.
8:"I've Had Enough.": Punchy! He's had enough! It's a good rocker. A good one for when you've seriously had it, build the soundtrack to your life! I like how abruptly it ends. Then we are ready for side two.
9: "With A Little Luck": The keyboard sounds that Wings employ are amazing! Always wondering what they will come up with next. It's an optimistic goodie. "There is no end to what we can do together."
10: "Famous Groupies": Was never too big on this one, but I am not knocking it! My least favorite Wings song may be someone else's all time favorite, so I want to be considerate. Tis a song of those famous groupies!
11: "Deliver Your Children": This is one of my favorite Denny songs. This is another story telling song where our hero snaps when his truck breaks down. Listen, can't you just feel the dark, all of that rain?
12: "Name and Address": The sound seems to be intentionally muffled. It has a 50s rock song feel to it, from the echo in the vocals, right down to the guitar playing. Almost Rockabilly!
13:"Don't Let It Bring You Down": The flutes on this are totally killer, a slightly medieval sounding song. The album has variety.
14: "Morse Moose and the Grey Goose": A very interesting title! Seeing the context with the song, some of the music sounds like Morse code! Morse Moose is a crew member, The Grey Goose is the boat he is on. It is a 6:27 minute song, the longest on the album, it's great. In the beginning and end, you can faintly hear snippets off a radio.
  This was Jimmy McCulloch's last album with Wings. The liner notes have Linda McCartney credited for vocals, keyboards and percussion, I wonder what type of percussion she put on this. This is a great album!
   Which is your favorite on here? What are your opinions? Comment below!

"The Dukes" by The Dukes

     Hi Everyone! Sorry if I am a little late with this, Thursday is always crazy busy. Today's Youtube adventure features a 70s band called The Dukes! They were Miller Anderson,  (vocals, guitar) Jimmy McCulloch, (vocals, guitar) Ronnie Leahy (keyboards) and Charles Tumahai (bass, vocals
     Their first self titled album was their last. This record was put out in 1979, I've always looked for it, but never found it! The only song I know by The Dukes is "HeartBreaker." Let us remedy that fact!
  1: "Hearts In Trouble": The album takes off like a plane, fueled by a really powerful number, that would fit in any arena! You know for sure, this could have fit in really well on the radio here in the States. Right in there with Boston and REO Speedwagon, The music was perfect for it's time and it is excellently catchy! A great way to start.
    2:" Leaving It All Behind": This has sort of a funky disco type feeling to it. The keyboards are fantastic, love some of those 70s keyboard settings, makes me want to learn to play piano! There is a great Jimmy solo in here, any song with a Jimmy McCulloch guitar solo deserves two thumbs up and both of your big toes as well!
   3: "All In A Game": More rock and roll goodness, each song equally as catchy as the first, sign of a great album, I think!  " But I have had some good times and that's what keeps me here, on this rock and roll railroad,leading on to who knows where", that is a great line!
  4: "Billy Niles": This is a cool jam about a talk show host ("Big Talker With A Well Known Face") who gets in trouble on the air. The effects on "Billy Niles" remind me of one of those fantastic old arcade games. Billy Niles is a pretty good name for a talk show fella.
  5: "Crazy Fool": I dare you not to feel something when you hear this, it is a perfect power ballad, and it has a lot of power and feeling put into it. It might make you misty, or maybe it's just me, it doesn't take much to make me get all misty!
   6: "Who's Gonna Tell You": A really bouncy number with wicked keyboards and some grooving bass. Every thing on this album could have been fantastic on the radio.
   7: "Time On Your Side": Charles Tumahai is an amazing bass player! I can't believe that I had never heard of him before today. Some wicked guitar parts by the one and only Jimmy McCulloch. This song Is kind of like something the Edgar Winter Group might do, somebody should tell Edgar that he should consider ressurecting this gem!
   8: "I'll Try To Help": Parts of this song have a bits of a Motown feel, but as they say, the rest is rock and roll, and very good at that.
   9: "Heartbreaker": Oh. My. Gosh. I am looking down at my feet, they used to have socks. They are gone. If you listen to this, you will see, your socks will disappear too! It's the best on the album, and I am not just saying that because Jimmy sings it.
    The first time I heard "Heartbreaker", I was ten years old, after Dad introduced me to Wings. Now, this song by the Dukes was by far the heaviest thing I had ever heard, and liked before! "What is this greatness?" I must've thought! It was way heavy for me at ten, it still is!
   This is a great album, for sure. Go check it out on YouTube, tell me what you think, comment below!

"HOLLYWOOD DREAM" BY THUNDERCLAP NEWMAN.

    Today, I am going on another YouTube adventure, to review the album "Hollywood Dream" by Thunderclap Newman. Thunderclap Newman is a pretty awesome name for a band. The album came out in 1970. The band consists of Speedy Keen on vocals, drums and guitar, Andy "Thunderclap" Newman on piano and Jimmy McCulloch on guitar. Jimmy was 17, very talented!
    Let's roll!!
1: "Hollywood #1": from the minute it started, I knew, I was going to dig this album! This song seems to be about Hollywood in the old days, I love how they say "Film star" instead of "Movie star" because they don't watch movies in the UK, they watch films! Or if you are Jerry Lewis, you just call them pictures. This song has a very cool piano solo, very old Hollywood, very honky tonk, I can see the tap dancers now! A great opening to an album.
2: "The Reason": This is a song that could make it on classic rock radio, why it is not on the radio right now, I don't know. This would not be out of place on a Who album! Interestingly enough, Kit Lambert and Pete Townshend helped to put this band together. There is a harmonica on this song, very cool, I can't remember the last song I heard with a harmonica. Also, another Jimmy McCulloch guitar solo that produces so many chills, they can feel it in Texas on 112 degree day!
3: "Open The Door, Homer": A Bob Dylan song. This has some pretty neat high sounding organ (at least, I believe it is an organ) in it throughout. I like how the middle of the song changes over to that honky tonk piano for a moment and then goes back into guitar to bring the song out! The extra parts included make the song extra memorable. Now it's in my head!
4: "Look Around": Here is one to take on your road trips! Song for the restless. Gotta love it. There are many different piano sounds on this record, which is pretty groovy, and lots of tambourine and Maraca power bringing it home on this one. This song sounds oddly familiar, where did I hear it?
5: "Accidents": This song is about a man who ends up at the wrong place at the wrong time-repeatedly. There are many great sound effects in this nine minute goodie! There is also an instrumental period in the middle, including some guitar that just EXPLODES!  I believe that you could make a short film to this, they could've done it as a promo film back in the day!
6: "Wild Country": More jams for the road trip (can you tell I want to travel so badly?) As you drive through the country, with the wind in your hair, sun blinding you through the wind shield, blast this one out as you wave to some Amish. You miss them when they look at you curiously.
7: "When I Think": This is a really pretty one. One great thing about music from the 70s is the fact that they used brass and woodwinds in pop and rock music! Mostly everything now is electronic.
8: "The Old Commill": This is a cool song. I could not understand a lot of the words, but it was groovy. It sped up near the end, like a plane taking off! By the way, what is a commill? Let me know!
9:" I Don't Know:  This one has some great lyrics, a great solo, and naturally , that high organ! My favorite line is: "In all that time I've had so many fights to fight, I see the light, I could be wrong."
10: "Hollywood Dream": We have reached the title track! This is the 2nd song about Hollywood on this album, and is an utterly fabulous instrumental. It sounds like they put pedal steel in this, I've never heard pedal steel outside of country music, or even in Brittish music!
11: "Hollywood #2: This. Is. Beyond. Awesome!! Between 1 and 2, 2 is my favorite. It has a bunch of delicious changes and that opening is real dynamite. This goes on my list of best songs about Hollywood or best songs in general-speak of the devil, I really need to write that list.
12: I am surprised that I have never heard it! This was their big hit and it is fantastic! I am putting the video up here, along with a photo I found of them on Wikipedia. You can also see Jimmy 's brother Jack on drums! I always thought that Speedy Keen looked like Denny Laine, I wonder how many others think the same!
This was a great album!! Naturally, "Hollywood #2" is my favorite, what is yours? Let me know! Thanks for stopping by!

Venus And Mars by Wings.

     Hello Everybody!! Sorry that I have not written in the past two days, things have been very busy, been working on more ways to support Wyatt!! Even thinking of more ways to go purple! (See this article for more about that:   http://www.bringtheneedledown.blogspot.com/2015/05/purple-eyeshadow-for.html  )

      Today, I am reviewing an album called "Venus And Mars" by Wings. I will tell you more about them after. I found it for a dollar!! I also want to show you this nice review banner that a cool lady named Roberta made for me!! She is in the Jimmy McCulloch fan page (Jimmy was in Wings!) Thanks, Roberta!!!
       Away we go!!
    1;"Venus and Mars": It is like a beautiful prelude to rock! You feel very much like you are in the stands of an arena, (as the song states)  waiting for something beautiful to happen. Unfortunately, my record player gleefully skipped half the beginning of the record. I really think it likes that a little too much.
     2: "Rock Show": Greatest rock song ever!! This is according to my Dad, it is so true. It is a real rocker. It really flies and has tons of intricate parts that make it special. It has a lot going on. "What's that man moving across the stage? Looks a lot like the one used by Jimmy Page" and "They was louder at the Rainbow", are my favorite lines!! I believe Jimmy was mentioned because Denny Laine played a double necked guitar in concert, just like Jimmy Page!! I've been listening to the live version for so long, I forgot about that spoken ending!
     3: "Love In Song": It is so cool how these songs merge together. This song is new to me, it is very beautiful. Not only that, but it makes for lovely reading on the back cover! Very nice poetry. It pretty much starts our with just acoustic guitar, but it progresses with great procussion and strings!!
    4: "You Gave Me The Answer": Oh, this is so so good. It has the effects put on it to sound almost like an old 78 record, like New Vaudeville Band did for "Winchester Cathedral"! It also reminds me of the old musicals.
     5: Magneto and the Titanium Man": This is a really cool song. If I am hearing this right, the lyrics have a twist ending!! I like the live version a little better though. It rocks a little harder and it's more raw. But look at the title!! Gosh, isn't it so magnificent!! And any time Jimmy McCulloch plays a solo, you just have to freeze to take in the greatness of it.
     6: "Letting Go": The most superior song about letting go, if ya know what I mean. More great Jimmy guitar and those horns. I found one thing that Jimmy and I had in common, we like a lot of brass!! "Ah, she looks like snow, I want to put her in a Broadway show", that is a groovy line.
     7:"Venus And Mars Reprise": The echo on this is haunting. This is my first time hearing it. There is harp in this!! Wow! And what was that cool synth like sound? I think I like this better then the first one, it's like we as listeners are floating in space, with otherworldly vocals! Like the interlude to a play, it ends, we move right into:
      8: "Spirits of Aincient Egypt": Denny Laine! People may think that Paul is the star of this unit (and most people see Wings only for Paul McCartney) But I listen mainly for Denny and Jimmy. You can hear Linda pretty good doing backups for this. She is not a bad singer! "You can take a pound of Love and put it in a stew" , beautiful. That was a cooking tip brought to you by Mister Denny Laine!! Here comes another good one.
    9: "Medicine Jar":Jimmy McCulloch! This is one of my favorites. Jimmy is a great singer and this is a great showcase for him! We also get another great solo from Jimmy here. I remember seeing "Rock Show ", the concert movie on YouTube. I was a big Beatles fan. My Dad said "Raven, you have to see Rock Show." I was 9 then. So I checked it out. I was amazed by this Jimmy guy!! I wondered to myself, "Who is this guy who has more cool then anyone can handle?" Back then, there did not seem to be a lot of Jimmy stuff on YouTube. But now, you can find a ton!
       10: "Call Me Back Again": This almost has a blues feeling. I think this is that tale of liking someone and them not liking you back. "I've called your name, every night since then, but I ain't never heard you calling me. Come on and call me back again". It's about that one sided lonely feeling. This is an excellent jam!! More gold!
    11: "Listen To What The Man Said": Who is speaking at the beginning of this? I don't think it is on the radio version, because I've never heard that. This has never really been one of my favorite Wings songs, maybe because they play it a lot. But of course, it is still a great song. Now, reading the lyrics, I now know what the man says. I always get confused when Paul says "He said" and goes into instrumental. When I heard this when I was little I thought "Maybe it is like the grown ups on Snoopy! Maybe we are only supposed to hear the man in music, like the parents with the horns?" Crazy kid!
     12: "Treat Her Gently-Two Lonely Old People": This is a gorgeous song, but it is also sad, it's making me tear up right now. It reminds me of my Abuelita (grandma in Spanish) who died of Alzheimers last year. "Treat Her gently, treat her kind, she doesn't even know her own mind". I miss her so much. The beat in this song kind of reminds me a little of "Go Now" by the Moody Blues. Denny was in the Moody Blues. He would play "Go Now" at Wings concerts, Linda liked that song a lot!!
    13: "Crossroads Theme": Jimmy showcase!!  It is really pretty and it shows off his talent, easily my favorite song here, I've played it thrice, it was too short!! It could go on for another 30 minutes, I wouldn't mind, and I know a lot of people who might just be feeling the same way. Jimmy McCulloch playing guitar against an orchestra, 1:01 mins of pure goodness. It fades out and someone (Paul?) Says "That's it, clear" and it is all over. This would be a perfect song to fly to. Sadly of course, you can't physically fly, but planes are the next best thing!! If they don't let you bring any kind of music playing device, just hum it and drive the person next to you CRAZY!!!
     Wings consisted of Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney, Denny Laine, Jimmy McCulloch and Joe English. This is such a great record, I recommend giving it a listen. Wings is so much more then their radio hits!!
     I really love the inside cover. The band is standing in the middle of the desert with mountains in the background. It does not look hot, they all wear jackets, Paul has a blanket around his shoulders (a rather nice blanket at that!!) Linda, Jimmy, Joe and Paul are engrossed in checking out some rocks and showing them to each other. Denny stands a distance away, looking on at them. Perhaps he is thinking "They've been looking at rocks for the last fifteen minutes. Let us just get back in the bus and find a place where they have good disco fries." Or whatever Denny wanted to eat that day!! How about you write some fun captions!
      Have you ever listened to this album? Tell me what you think? What is your favorite song? How do you feel about Wings? Comment down below!!
   

Music Monday with The Stockboy!!

      DISCLAIMER: Today, I just wanted to share my father's opinion on music. My father knows a lot about music and I thought I would share some of his wisdom! I myself, do not want to offend anybody. Everybody has an opinion to share, each opinion should be valued. If you share your opinion, I will respect this too!-----
       Alright!! I'm going to introduce my Dad, he call himself The Stockboy. The Stockboy has been in many bands (including ones that featured  crazy and complicated bass lines!!) We were talking about music last night (a topic we often cover!) I thought I would feature him in Music Monday!!
   He only did commentary for two songs, but his opinion covers most of it. Here are ten of the songs that my father dislikes.
1:"Cuts Like a Knife" Bryan Adams.
     It just seems like these un creative musicians just never evolved from basic rhyming into grown up music. Yet, people love it so much. Maybe because it's so simple. It doesn't take much though, it's just press play. It's background music to clean your house to, just like the rest of the songs on the list. It's just garbage.
2:"Wild Nights" John Couger Mellancamp.
  This is a song by, what's his name....The Irish guy, Van Morrison? I think he did this one first. Both versions are equally as lousy and equally annoying. If their not playing one version on the radio, they are playing the other. This has been going on for years. This is the stuff that they want people to listen to because there is big money put behind this music. You see, like Loreena Mckennitt, she funds it herself, if you ask 9 out of ten people who she is, they won't know who she is. But they will know who anyone on Warner Brothers records is, because the producers want you to know who they are. That's basically what I think about all of the songs on this list. They are not musicians. I've seen musicians.
3:"You Make Loving Fun" Fleetwood Mac.
4:"Steal My Sunshine" by Len.
5:"The Mayor of Simpleton" by XTC
6:"I Can Only Imagine" by MercyMe
7:"You Make Me Smile" by  Uncle Kracker.
8:"Heartache Tonight." By The Eagles.
9:"All Star"  By Smashmouth.
10: "Only The Beginning" by Chicago.
Thank you Dad, for contributing to Music Monday! Alright, any opinions? Comment below! Would love to hear from you, as always. :) :)

RECORD STORE DAY!! Haul of the year. :)

   Yesterday was Record Store Day!! For once, I had a little bit of money on this day. Each year rolls around and I never do. So yesterday my Mother and I hit our local record store--yes, they still exist! :)
   The photo of the records on my bed, this is my epic record haul! From the dollar bin, I got "Now" by Wayne Newton, "BreakAway" by Art Garfunkel, the "Breakfast At Tiffany's" soundtrack, "The Partridge Family Album", "One Of The Boys" by Roger Daltrey, and "Have You Never Been Mellow" by Olivia Newton John. They had all the bins set up outside, it was a very nice day out there.
  Next, we went inside and I turned into a woman on a mission, headed to the back room where all the three dollars and up records are kept. I found "After Eight" by Taco for $4:00, I believe I got a discount. Very happy with this. Unfortunately, my record player likes to skip the beginning of the first song on a record, I am kinda bummed about that. Here is a photo of me and the prize find. I waited all Winter to wear that tank top! :) :)
We also got some freebies, free soda and pens. The records were put into a Record Store Day bag with the date on it, I shall keep it as a memento. They also had pizza there. There was one cold piece of pepperoni pizza left, did not take it, I was not feeling too well. :( My lament yesterday was "For once in my life, I look nice, now I feel sick!" :( All better now though! :)
Listening to "After Eight" right now, listened to it about three times, if I can manage it, I want to check out my other records, but I am in such a groove right now. Did any of you check out Record Store Day? Do you collect vinyl? Let me know in the comments!!

TACO TIME!!

   Today's post is going to be about Taco. Yes, Mr. "Puttin' On The Ritz"! Usually, I don't like anything from the 1980s, I find most of it high on the cheese factor. And the shoulder pads!! I'm more of a 70s gal, though I must admit, the 70s had its fair share of garbage too.
   So anyway, the 80s music I liked was very limited--until a few days ago. My parents and I were talking about Falco (Mr. "Rock Me Amadeus") and I was like, "Wasn't there a guy named Taco?" After they confirmed it, I went to do some investigating.
    I've heard his hit song before. I wanted to know: What else do he do? Does "Ritz" have a music video? Why is this man named after my favorite Mexican dish??
Taco is a popular name in the Netherlands-along with being a great thing to load up with sour cream and cheese!! :) According to an interview with the Taco, it also means octopus in Japan. A high heeled shoe in Spain. So that is really cool.
   The "Ritz" does have a music video, in fact, it has many videos, I've pretty much seen them all! They are pretty mesmerizing, Taco as the Dapper Dan with the glowing cane and tap dancing- every thing goes better with tap dancing!
    I've  also listened to his album "After Eight" on YouTube, which is AH-MAZING! He took old songs from the early decades and made them contemporary, with lots of cool synth. One of my favorites includes "Singing In The Rain", it's really good! There are some really cool originals on there too. The record almost makes one think of Tiny Tim, who also did old American standards, though Tiny Tim is awesome, he did not put synth and beats to an Irving Berlin song!!
   The only thing I don't like is that people on YouTube write so many mean, ridiculous and stupid comments. If you are going to say mean things, keep it off the internet so no one can read it. Then, nobody will see how dumb you are!
   Taco Ockerse is awesome, dislikes and stupid comments can not change this. Some of his later stuff is great also. This includes "Got To Be Your Lover", which to many, sounds like a Rick Astley song. That may be so, but I like this one WAY BETTER! :)
   The song he did with Taron X is cool. "Ist Am Ende Das Ziel", I like a lot. Natch, it is in German, so I cannot understand a word, but it is great. So I conclude with this, Taco is awesome and he has so many happy jams.
    No more hateful comments!! Just enjoy the music. "If your blue and you don't know where to go to, why don't you go where fashion fits?"
   I leave you with one of my favorite Taco jams. What do you think? Comment below! :) :) Thanks for stopping by!!!!!!

Music Monday With DD12!!!

DISCLAIMER: This commentary is not meant to harm anybody. We are just two teenagers, listening to some tunes and writing down our thoughts. If you happen to like a song or musician that we did not exactly like and stated so here, we apologize. Everybody has their own opinion and we respect that! We don't want to offend anybody! We want to hear your opinions too!!-
Hi everybody!! Today, I am collaborating with my sister Darien, aka, DD12. We are going to review songs from 1983 and tell you what we think! We are going to try and do this every Monday--MUSIC MONDAY! Ok, so the top ten songs of 1983!
1: "Every Breath You Take" by the Police.
DD12:  I thought it was ok. If it was me, I would've wanted the vocals to be a little stronger, you know what I am saying, Ray?"
Ray: "I liked it the first time I heard it. Then I listened to it, really listened to it. It's actually pretty creepy."
DD12: "Every breath you take, every move you make, I'll be watching you. Oh my God, that's creepy."
Ray:"You can't even go to the bathroom without this guy knowing. I like the standup bass though."
2: "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson.
DD12: "I LOVE THAT SONG!!! I'm a very big fan of Michael Jackson and "Billie Jean" happens to be a favorite. I always moonwalk to this song. I think that it should've been number one."
Ray: "I too, love me some of that "Billie Jean." Can't moonwalk though. I agree with you, it should've knocked the Police out of the top spot and be number one for the year!!!"
DD12: "It knocked The Police off the wall!"
3: "Flashdance....What A Feeling" by Irene Cara.
DD12: "Yeah, um, I think it was pretty cool. The music video was pretty fun. It was kinda hypnotizing. Who needs one of those little watches to swing in front of your face anymore? Just watch the video, That should do the trick."
Ray: "I really like Irene Cara's voice. This is a great song to dance to, obviously. That was a lot of crazy dancing in that video. Only wish I could dance as good. I would probably break something."
4: "Down Under" by Men At Work.
DD12: "Ok, it's not something I would listen to on a regular basis. It was kind of annoying and I'm not sure if they were being serious with the music video, or if they were doing it just for comedy. It was very silly."
Ray: "I never liked this song, but I always laughed at the lyrics. I liked the music video, especially the beginning where the guy kicks the car. I don't think they meant the video to be serious."
5: "Beat It" by Michael Jackson.
DD12: "Once again, I love it, MJ never fails to make great music. I also loved the video very much. Song is also a favorite."
Ray: "He is the greatest dancer ever. Now THIS should've made the top spot!! That guy in white next to MJ dancing was kind of distracting in a silly way though."
DD12: "That is true, he was very very silly. I also love Michael's dance moves.
Very much.
6: "Total Eclipse Of The Heart" by Bonnie Tyler.
DD12: "I thought it was a cool song. For the video, I will give it a number 8 on the nightmare scale. No one wants to be there. I wouldn't be surprised if they made a movie about it."
Ray: "I enjoyed the song. I always have. But what is with the video? And who the heck does that "Turn around, Bright Eyes" part? And why is Bonnie "Bright Eyes"? She looked a little tired. Now, the guys the glowing eyes? They had bright eyes!! Ha ha."
7: "ManEater" by Hall and Oates.
DD12: "Well, I thought the song was ok. The video was a little boring though. I give it a 5, not as good as the other ones I've heard."
Ray: "I used to hate this song, I thought it was gross, but I like it now. The video was not much, but the song makes up for that."
8: "Come To Me" by Patti Austin and James Ingram.
DD12: "I also thought that this was ok, it's not the best song in the World. I'll give it a 4."
Ray: "I agree with you. Not my on my list of favorites."
9: "Maniac" by Michael Sembello.
DD12: "I didn't like it that much. It was a little boring. In my opinion, it gets a two."
Ray: "Au Contraire, dear sister. I dug it. Another dance tune!!"
10: "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" by The Eurythmics.
DD12: "I thought it was  ok again. That song comes on a lot on the radio so it is always in my head. Anytime I try and sing it, Raven yells at me. I annoy the heck out of her."
Ray: "You don't always. I liked it. It most certainly gets in your head. I like Annie Lennox's look in the video".
Thanks for reading everyone!! Please suggest a year for us to do next Monday!! Tell us what you think of these tunes!!

CLEANING JAM!!

Afternoon everybody!! I just got finished on a mega cleaning spree, this happens every Thursday. I tackle the dishes, bathroom and my room in one straight line!! While I was taking care of this, I noticed that I seem to put on certain records when I do all of this stuff. I realized, I have a jam for each thing I do!! So today's blog is going to be about cleaning jams. So, here are some albums I put on the record player, when I clean, or do other stuff.
LAUNDRY: "City Nights" by Nick Gilder. This is a great album to fold to, especially on a nice sunny day when you have the window open. It has a nice summer feel. Nick Gilder is most famous for "Hot Child In The City", but my favorite on the album is "Frustration". There are some great guitar solos on here, done by James McCulloch (Not to be mixed up with Jimmy McCulloch of Wings.)
   CLEANING THE BATHROOM:  "Bay City Rollers" or "Strangers In The Wind" by The Bay City Rollers. These guys were great!! Their music was light, fun and poppy and had a lot of BELLS!! There are three things I am crazy about in songs, bells, bass and sax!! This is also a Summer jam. Their cover of "Be My Baby" is fab. Of course "Saturday Night" is THE Bay City Rollers hit!! Great for cleaning stuff. S.A.T.U.R.D.A.Y NIGHT!
  CLEANING THE BEDROOM: "Jeff Conaway" by Jeff Conaway or "Jerry Lewis Just Sings" by Jerry Lewis. Jeff Conaway was Kenickie in "Grease" and was Danny in the stage version. He was also in "Taxi" as Bobby Wheeler. My favorite on the album might be "I Don't Want To Be Alone Tonight", because I like to sing it loud. Jerry Lewis sings a lot of old songs and it is very good. Lots of brass (plus, plus, love the brass!!) And very Vegas. "Rockabye Your Baby With A Dixie Melody" Is my fave.
   GETTING READY IN THE MORNING: You need to have a hair brushing jam. So lately, I put on the song "One Day Tomorrow" by Edgar Winter off his "Jasmine Nightdreams" album. It's optimistic!
  CROCHETING: Anything!! But lately, a lot of Edgar Winter.
DISHES: I sing sometimes when I do the dishes.
Ok, now I want to hear from you!! What are your cleaning jams? Or your doing stuff jams? Let me know in the comments below!

WINGSPAN!!!

  This afternoon, whilst working on a tam hat, I decided to have myself a little YouTube adventure!! Might as well get something to Crochet to and learn something at the same time!! When you are homeschooled, you are very "let's go learn something" oriented!
   Today's YouTube adventure was a documentary called "Wingspan." It is about Paul and Linda McCartney and their band, Wings. I've been a Beatles fan since I was 8 and soon after, my Dad introduced me to Wings. My favorite band member in Wings is guitarist Jimmy McCulloch. This guy was fantastic!!
  Last year on Facebook, I found a group that was perfect, a group just for Jimmy McCulloch fans! "Little Wing: The Jimmy McCulloch Story." The guy who runs it, Paul Salley, is writing a book about Jimmy, the first of it's kind, a book I can't wait to read! Some of the nice people in the group suggested I go and see "Wingspan" and write about it after!!
   So, in this documentary, Mary McCartney interviews her dad about his Wings career and her Mom, Linda. It's really sweet, instead of some other person to interview, they kept it in the family, so it is very warm. Paul talks about meeting his wife Linda (there are Linda interviews in here too, just audio over photos or 1970s footage) their life together and forming Wings together.
   The love story is really sweet. You could tell that there was a lot of love in that relationship, you knew, they would have stayed together forever!! Linda is cool. She was real. Not overly frilly, but she was awesome! That is why she is my favorite Beatle wife. Paul talks a little bit about the coming and going of band members.
    I thought it was so neat how they went on their own impromptu tour, going to universities, asking to play for the students, to try out their new band. Paul had Linda playing keyboard and singing harmonies. The three consistent band members were Paul, Linda and Denny Laine. Together, this band  made some of the greatest 1970s music and one of my favorite concert films, "Rockshow", where I first saw Jimmy doing "Medicine Jar", which is one of the best songs that Wings ever put out.
   One of my favorite parts was where the whole band is in a living room, jamming on the couch to "Bluebird." That was neat, very family like! But then, family life had a great tie in with the band. Paul and Linda would bring their kids on the road with them. Wow, imagine being those kids, being there to dig all that great music and just hang out!!
   So, this was a great documentary, I highly recommend it and I highly recommend checking out the music of Wings, not just the radio hits. There are so many great Wings songs that don't get played on the radio, that is the crime of FM radio. It is very limited and then you get sick of the selection. Wings is a great band!!
   If you are a fan, what is your favorite song by them? Your favorite band member? If you love Jimmy, check out the group and the Jimmy McCulloch page on Facebook!! One of the greatest guitar players there ever was. I am sure I will cover him in another post, but I will close for now!! Go watch some Wings and have a wonderful, wonderful night!!